NOA is Going Through the Motions. [Q&A]
Interviewed by: Sarah Evangelista
From being one of the many contestants on the Canadian TV show The Launch, NOA is constantly thriving to be the best fun pop artist she could be. As well as having a very bubbly personality, the Toronto singer also has a powerful voice range that is highlighted in every one of her releases.
I got the opportunity to chat with NOA on all things music. Read below.
NOA: Hey!
Hi!
How's it going?
Good, you?
I’m good!
Awesome! So obviously you're one of the contestants on The Launch season 2, what have you learnt from the show that you use everyday while writing music?
I think it was just to you know, just be true to your art and to embrace it 100%, and don’t be afraid to take risks while writing. And like, just showcase that right off the bat, when you’re like making a new impression on an audience or on someone listening.
Do you ever feel like nervous or anxious to reveal emotions in your songs?
Yeah of course! Especially like I always write about personal experience, so it can be super vulnerable sometimes. Especially if like some lyrics are super specific - you know, sharing that with a new audience. Especially if that person is there sometimes could be very intimidating, like you’re just opening up a different side of you. I always say like my songs are like my diary, so every time I sing it, it’s like I’m reading an entry - and for most of the world, that’s pretty private. But I feel like in the arts, you kind of have to be an open book, and you want to share your experiences and have people connect and resonate with, you know, what you’re singing about.
Of course, that makes it more meaningful anyways.
Exactly, 100%, and I feel like if it was any other way it’s not as authentic. And, you know, I write to give others a voice, so I just want people to feel a little less alone and let them know that they’re not the only ones going through whatever they’re going through.
Speaking of emotions, your newest single is called “Motions”, what’s it about?
So I actually wrote “Motions” on Valentine’s Day last year. It kind of takes you through the journey of post-breakup thoughts and you know, reminiscing about all the ups and downs, and all the good and the bad of a relationship. I wrote it when I was back in LA, and it was my first time being back in the city after a breakup. It’s weird to be back in a place that reminds you so much of that person because you made so many memories there. So, it was like Valentine’s Day, a cloudy rainy day and I was just in the studio, then I started writing about how I was feeling, and you know, facing all these feelings for the first time in a long time.
Especially because it was raining - that just brings out your emotions even more, honestly.
Exactly! It was like a cloudy day - it was Valentine’s Day, I had just gotten through a breakup, so everything kind of like lined up to write this kind of like sad dreamy heartfelt song.
And the song has like a slow but groovy beat, was that always the idea for it?
Yeah! So I feel like with my music - I love contrasting maybe like a sad lyric or a concept with something that’s a little more upbeat. I just think it kind of brings out something that people don’t expect. And like, as some people may know with my last single “Caught Up”, like I love that boppy, bouncy bass line and like that R&B feel. So I thought it’d be cool to like kind of carry that onto this single, especially cause like I’m talking about a boy and going through the motions, so it’s not like sad all the time, like there are parts of me that is glad I had those experiences and that I learnt from it. So i feel like having the chorus be the way it is really showcases the motions, and going through like, up and down up and down.
Love that! You also worked with Jonathan Aperil and Jayson Defour, what was it like to work with them?
So, to start off with Jay; Jay is awesome and he also did the mixing for “Caught Up”, he’s an absolute genius, and he just brings every song to a new level, so it’s always such a pleasure working with him. And Jonathan, I met when I was at Berklee and we’ve been good friends for a very long time. I actually think “Motions” was the first time we got into the studio together to write, and he tours with the Jonas Brothers, with Nick Jonas, he does work with Demi Lovato - he’s everywhere, he’s also a crazy genius on the guitar. So the second we got into the studio, he just started playing these chords that were like exactly how I was feeling and it just flowed together so easily. The production was so awesome - it kind of just flowed and it was really easy to work together, and it’s always so easy and helpful when everybody’s on the same page, and it’s kind of unspoken, but you both know where you want the song to go.
That’s so great. It’s your first single of the year, do you think this song is the best way to sort of introduce yourself to the year?
Totally, and I think it’s like a cool follow up from my last single as well - it showcases a bit of a different, more vulnerable side - which I’m excited to showcase, especially because it’s winter, it’s cold. I just felt like this vibe really fit the season and just shows a different side of me that I haven’t showcased before.
As said in the interview, “Motions” is the most dreamy and groovy breakup song you’ll ever hear. The Toronto artist’s vocals are highlighted with a touch of repetitive beats. You’ll love it.
Stream it here: